QUICK GUIDE

How Read This Doc works

1. Open a document or paste text

   Click Open a document and choose a PDF, a Word .docx file or a TXT file up to 30 MB. Text from an email or a website can simply be copied and added with Paste your own text.

2. Press Play

   Click any paragraph to start listening from there. For documents with columns or tables, check that the text is in the right order.

3. Make it yours

   Change the speed and skip back or forward one section at a time. Make the text bigger or smaller with A+ and A−, or hide it while you listen.

4. What happens to your text

   Your document is processed on your device and is never uploaded to this website. A local voice reads directly on your device. An online voice (marked “· online” in the list – for example the natural voices in Edge or the Google voices in Chrome) sends the text being read to the browser maker's speech service. For sensitive documents, choose a local voice.

   The last text and your place in it are saved in your browser so you can come back later. Remove them with Clear text in the paste form; turn saving off in Voice settings.

5. Choosing a voice

   The voice is not part of Read This Doc – it comes from your browser and device. On a computer, Microsoft Edge sounds the most natural, with free lifelike voices such as Ava, Andrew, Aria or Guy. Chrome offers Google voices, which are also good. Online voices need an internet connection; if it drops, Read This Doc switches to a local voice and keeps reading.

   On a phone, Read This Doc uses your phone's built-in voice. On Android you'll find it under Settings → Accessibility → Text-to-speech; on iPhone under Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices.

   ⚙ Open voice settings

6. Coming back later

   With saving switched on, you'll find your last text and your place in it next time you visit in the same browser. After a pause, reading continues from the start of the current section.

7. What it can't do yet

   • It can't read scanned PDFs without a text layer, or old Word .doc files.
   • Listening with a locked phone screen hasn't been tested on every device. Try it on yours first.
   • It doesn't work fully offline yet.

8. Do I need to install anything?

   No. Just open this page in your browser. No account, no ChatGPT, no API key.